About
ABOUT
EARLY LIFE
Our Church’s history is essential to understanding our identity, roots, purpose, mission, accomplishments and undertakings.
It is with joy that we have been here for 22 years since the first official Sunday Service at Baptist Bible Church Wellington.
It started around 50 years ago, when a baby named Ariel was born in Manila, Philippines. He served the Lord through various ministries at his home Church as a choir member and Sunday School teacher.
In 1984, Pastor Ariel accepted a position as an advertising artist in a well-known Middle Eastern hotel. The environment he was thrust in opened his eyes for the need to share the love of God in a region where believing in Christ as the One True God could mean a death sentence.
With this burden in his heart, Pastor Ariel started a series of bible studies with a fellow believer. This personal ministry was miraculously preserved and protected by God.
The bible study started in a small flat with three people, later expanding to a seven-day ministry, serving a few hundred souls.
This ministry produced countless people that have been saved, many of whom later went into the ministry.
In 1990, the bible study ministry had a grand fellowship attended by 300 people.
Life in that country was not the ideal setting to raise a family. Pastor Ariel felt it was time to seek a place where he and his family could serve God more effectively. The Lord led his family to New Zealand.
A NEW LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND
Pastor Ariel’s desire to share the Gospel was so overwhelming that as soon as he arrived in New Zealand, he started a bible study.
Initially, only Filipinos attended – friends that went to other churches on Sundays.
Pastor Ariel’s own Pastor had always encouraged him to go into the ministry and start a Church. Pastor Ariel understood the sacrifices pastoral families face, and – sincerely believing he did not have the calling to be a Minister – he continuously declined the inevitable.
Conditions beyond his control brought him to recognise that God intended circumstances in his life to lead to this point – that he surrender this life to the Lord.
In 1995, with his supportive family and after a unanimous vote from his home Church to support him as a Missionary Preacher in New Zealand, Pastor Ariel set up Baptist Bible Church Wellington.
At the Church’s first Sunday service, two people attended – his wife Penny and son Paolo. The following Sunday, a family attended.
The Church started to grow slowly. Some attendees were from the bible study Pastor initially set up when he first arrived in New Zealand.
Later, other families started to attend.
In 2000, Pastor Ariel was publicly ordained as a Minister at his home Church. The same year, he was awarded an honorary degree in Theology by Asia Bible Baptist College.
GROWTH
Around 30-50 people attended Church meetings in Newlands School. As the Church started to grow, a new meeting place was needed.
In 2005, the Church moved to Khandallah School on Sundays.
With several ministries and no permanent base to operate from, the greatest need was to seek the Lord in procuring a Church property.
In 2015, the Church was able to purchase its own building in Grenada North, Wellington.
God has blessed and increased our Church in ways we never imagined.
Today, the Church sustains several ministries:
- Tracting in Wellington City and Petone outreach ministry
- Soul winning door-knocking ministry
- Little Lights children’s ministry – to reach children in the community by teaching them Bible lessons and seeing to their physical nourishment as well
- Youth Alive teen ministry
- Young Professionals young adult ministry
- Old Folks Chapel Time at Cashmere Home – singing hymns with residents and listening to God’s word
- Bible Studies and Prayer Meetings – Tuesday’s in Newtown and Thursday’s at the Church in Grenada North
- Discipleship Studies – for new and growing Christians
- Rimutaka Prison ministry – life-changing ministry for men wherein God has been gracious and merciful to bring lost souls to the knowledge of the Gospel
We are a Christ-honouring, family-oriented and friendly Church. We are grounded firmly on the Word of God. We seek to make Christ known as the sovereign and only God. We enthusiastically preach His truth and share his love in the Community.